Survey seeks Kansans' opinions on internationalizing school curriculum

LAWRENCE -- The Kansas Committee for International Education in the Schools is seeking Kansans' opinions on the importance of internationalizing the curriculum in Kansas schools.

Established early this year, the committee is a statewide group of policy-makers, educators and community leaders. The Kansas Asia Community Connection at the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Kansas is the committee host.

The statewide committee has posted a brief survey online and is asking Kansans to take a few minutes to complete the survey, said William M. Tsutsui (soot-SUE-ee), KU associate professor of history and a member of the executive committee.

"Basically, 'internationalizing curriculum' refers to infusing knowledge of the cultures, histories and languages of regions of the world beyond the United States into the school curriculum," Tsutsui said.

"Kansas had $5.8 billion in exports in 2002," he said. "In an era of global security concerns, accelerated international trade and increased cultural diversity, Americans need a greater awareness of the world outside our borders."

Tsutsui said the committee especially is interested in hearing from representatives of business and industry in Kansas as well as anyone interested in education.

"Please take a moment to complete the online survey by Dec. 15," he said. "Your views will have a real impact on the character of education in Kansas over the coming years."

To access the Survey on Education for Tomorrow's Workforce go to www.asiakan.org/survey.

Results of the statewide survey and of focus group sessions the committee has conducted on internationalizing education in Kansas will be reported in early 2004.

With financial support from the Asia Society, the Longview Foundation and the American Forum for Global Education, the committee works to promote and evaluate international education in Kansas, including the survey. Other committee projects have included a training session with personnel from the Kansas Department of Education in spring 2003 to more closely align outreach from KU area studies programs with the state's social studies standards, and a series of focus groups of K-12 educators on internationalizing Kansas schools.

For more information, please contact Nancy Hope at nfhope@ku.edu or Tsutsui at btsutsui@ku.edu.